One suspect was arrested after leaving a city centre hotel
Dramatic body-worn footage shows brave police chasing and arresting knife crime suspects around Birmingham city centre.
One moment saw police detaining a suspect outside Genting Casino on Thorp Street in Birmingham’s Chinese Quarter.
Officers with tasers jumped out of their police car and screamed at the suspect: “Get on the floor now!”
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In a second incident, a suspected knifeman was stopped as he came out of the Holiday Inn hotel just off Smallbrook Queensway.
Police chasing a suspected knifeman in Birmingham city centre(Image: WMP)
Two officers on bikes ask the suspect for a “chat” but he ignored their instructions and fled in the direction of the Bullring.
The suspect was seen running across busy traffic before being detained a a few seconds later near the former Snobs venue.
The dramatic footage was shared by West Midlands Police as the Home Office announced knifepoint robberies had dropped by a quarter in the West Midlands over the past year.
The 25 per cent figure also includes hold-ups where victims were threatened with a blade.
The reduction was the biggest in seven areas nationwide targeted by a police taskforce set up last year.
Lynne Baird, whose 26-year-old son Daniel was fatally stabbed outside a Digbeth pub in 2017, said she was “encouraged” by the reduction.
Ms Baird runs the Daniel Baird Foundation which installs life-saving bleeding kits in public places around the West Midlands.
She said: “It’s encouraging to see targeted efforts making a real impact in tackling knife-enabled robbery.
“A 25 per cent reduction in areas like the West Midlands shows focused policing, backed by the right support, can save lives and protect communities.
“As someone who lost my son Daniel to knife violence, I know first-hand the devastation it brings.”